Weigh In: Billboard Ranks ‘Best Superbowl Half-Time Shows Ever’

Published: Saturday 1st Feb 2014 by Rashad

It is quite literally the biggest show on Earth.  Often playing to (present and distant) crowds of 90 million+, the SuperBowl Half-time Show is every year’s must see performance with only an elite group of pop superstar’s able to claim they’ve headlined one.

From pop’s top divas Madonna, Janet Jackson, Diana Ross, and Beyonce to pop potentates Michael Jackson and Prince, the Superbowl Half-time show has been graced by its fair share of music royals.

But, is there one that completely takes the crown for ‘best ever’?  Billboard seems to think so.  In great anticipation for Bruno Mars’ showing tomorrow night, the Music Bible unveiled its top Half-time shows ever.  As ever, sparking quite the debate.

See the list below and weigh in?

10.  Michael Jackson, 1993

9. Aerosmith, ‘N Sync & Britney Spears, 2001

8. Paul McCartney, 2005

7. Janet Jackson & Justin Timberlake, 2004

6. The Rolling Stones, 2006

5. Beyonce, 2013

4. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

3. Madonna, 2012

2. U2, 2002

1. Prince, 2007

Will Bruno Mars be adding his name to this prestigious list?  We’ll find out tomorrow night when the ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ hitmaker takes to the Superbowl Half-Time Show live stage to perform a collection of his hits (source).


Your thoughts?

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  1. BeysusChristo February 1, 2014

    Madonna tho…

  2. the real xoxo February 1, 2014

    Madonna’s was EVERYTHING until she brought all of those irrelevants out and ruined it.
    Janet was killing that performance until the white devil came out.
    Bey’s was fire as was everyone else’s.

  3. bam bam February 1, 2014

    Yeah Prince definitely did that

  4. miley rayy February 1, 2014

    Miley will kick someone out the top10 next year. performer of our generation and 2nd best of all time,only second to beyonce

  5. Brazilian Yoncé February 1, 2014

    Beyoncé won
    She was spectacular

  6. Marcus February 1, 2014

    I Agree That Everyone On This List Deserves To Be BUT I Don’t Agree With Some Positions Though.

    Some Should Be A Little Higher & Some Should Rank A Little Lower.

  7. Brazilian Yoncé February 1, 2014

    #SuperBowl15P!NK
    #SuperBowl16LadyGaga
    #SuperBowl17Rihanna&KatyPerry
    🙂

  8. Jon February 1, 2014

    1. MJ
    2. Beyoncé
    3.Prince
    4.Madonna
    5.U2

  9. Jessica February 1, 2014

    I thought Beyonce was much better than Madonna. So was MJ. Prince deserved that top spot though.

    Beyonce is the youngest one there, so proud of her! Amongst all those legends.

  10. YONCE AKA BEYONSLAY February 1, 2014

    MJ SHOULD BE #1 AND BEY SHOULD BE HIGHER THAN OVERRATED ASS MADONNA

  11. Nazeem February 1, 2014

    Beyonce’s set was spectacular with the lightings and everything.

  12. JOHNVIDAL February 1, 2014

    The list is good. Billboard´s opinion is irrelevant though. You can check any of their reviews and they are pathetic as critics, no better than any of us. They are good for the numbers, nothing else (well, with some of the new rules they have been adding lately they are not even good at that anymore).

  13. Greg February 1, 2014

    We all know Janet’s SB will always be #1. She slayed her performance despite nipplegate, but lets be forreal, “I’ma have u naked by the end if this song” was justified. We all look forward seeing the Janet Jackson SB each and every year.

    #2 is Beyonce- She went bananas. I think her 12 min stage show was better than anything she does on tour current and before that.

    #3 is Madge- That entrance alone is the reason why she’s Queen. Enough said!

    #4 is MJ- He lip sync for his life.

    The others. Doesn’t exist. Sorry, Those the only 4 yu’ll remember forever.

  14. NT February 1, 2014

    P!nk NEEDS to do a Super Bowl that would be AMAZING , why is Michael so low on the list , and i feel that Madonna should be lower on the list Beyonce deserves top 5 position. BUT PRINCE’S PERFORMANCE WAS AMAZING.

  15. Brazilian Yoncé February 1, 2014

    I’ve only watched Beyoncé’s Superbowl the others I have never

  16. Marley February 1, 2014

    Look at Beyonce up there. You go girl.

  17. Brazilian Yoncé February 1, 2014

    Bruno Mars wasn’t supposed to headline the Superbowl he’s not a legend yet

  18. shauwndapooh February 1, 2014

    ^^^^Britney spears was the youngest at the time

  19. BIGGESTAALIYAHFAN February 1, 2014

    I’m happy they included Janet, minus what no lyolty, not having her back JT, that was an amazing epic performance. I hope she can perform again one day and redeem herself! From my mouth to Gods ears! Fingers Crossed. Great list, but I thought MJ would have been much higher on the list.

  20. Slay_hive February 1, 2014

    YAAAS, All I see is LEGENDS!!!!! 2nd Highest rated performance in Superbowl history!! #SLAYED

  21. Rihanna is not the orginator of anything, except that cat cry February 1, 2014

    MJ, Janet, Bey and Prince deserve the top 4 spots with MJ being #1. Madonna should have been #10 or not on the list at all. And Bruno is a cutie, but he has some huge stilettos to feel from last years SB.

  22. Rihanna is not the orginator of anything, except that cat cry February 1, 2014

    No to pink. I like her, but what will she swing from at the super bowl. That act is getting stale. Like you could have been apart of the circus, we get it.

  23. DOSSOME February 1, 2014

    See my avi

  24. Kendall February 1, 2014

    This just proves Beyonce is way ahead of her peers. On a performing list with legends only.

  25. BEYHIVE_MINAJ February 1, 2014

    Side eye at some of these orders. My top 3:
    1.Michael Jackson
    2.Beyonce
    3.Prince

  26. BEYHIVE_MINAJ February 1, 2014

    And I can’t wait to see Bruno tomorrow. One of the few talented people of this generation.

  27. NT February 1, 2014

    &Rihanna is not the orginator of anything, except that cat cry

    Whoaa that my be Pink’s favorite thing to do but a lot of stars have a favorite move or a go to choreo ( Ciara – Matrix ; Beyonce – Weave flip , booty pop ) Pink is actually a GREAT technical dancer if you watcher her tribute to Janet you’ll see how strong of a dancer she is.

  28. LOL February 1, 2014

    JANET’S WILL ALWAYS BE BEST HALFTIME SHOW EVER.

    PRINCE AND MJ SHOULD BE #2 &3.

    THE REST, I DON’T KNOW THEM LOL

  29. My Gums Tho(aka Teacher) February 1, 2014

    Only thing good about last year was the Destiny’s Child segment! Madonna>> Gumyonce

  30. bey wins February 1, 2014

    All you have to do is google Grammys, and all you will see is BEYONCE! LOL

  31. Let’s Be Real February 1, 2014

    Let’s not get all unreal here…MADONNA SLAYED THAT SUPERBOWL STAGE.BEYONCÉ STOMPED THE PLASMA OUT OF EVERY INCH OF THE STAGE.they were the best.Madonnas opening alone slayed whole tours put on by your faves. And when Beyoncé started African shimmying to EOT all I could say was “YAAAAAAAAAASSSSSS”

  32. Lolz February 1, 2014

    Rihanna could never.

  33. RoyalKev February 1, 2014

    I don’t agree with the ranking of this list. I have to admit that I’ve never seen Prince’s halftime set, but I’m sure his #1 spot is well deserved.

    Madonna at #3?
    I don’t think so! Was some of the staging creative? Yes, especially the first 5 minutes (the entrance was brilliant – it was the best one I’ve seen yet), but she simply can’t get by on creativity alone. You have to have the ability to keep the viewing audience’s attention. What other talents do Madonna have? By the time Madonna was half way through her performance, she’s accompanied by the same 3000 dancers/performers, she loses herself in the crowd, she adds in dramatics, yoga, aerobics, circus and all kinds of confusion just to distract you from what she’s incapable of delivering. It may have worked in 1949, but after a while we need to remember why your a superstar. Madonna is the one legend that simply cannot do that! No hate! I’ll give her credit for something else, but she gets none for doing anything live! Moving on …

    Janet and Yonce assaulted that stage and left it begging for mercy! Janet practically made SB halftime famous and Bey reignited interest in it. It’s the show you want to book now! Both women topped all other females. Period! I don’t say this as a stan, I say this because it’s exactly what happened! How they are both not top 4 totally baffles me.

  34. Laila February 1, 2014

    Beyonce! I love and respect her so much. Notice the haters can’t say much about Beyonce’s SB and the list her amongst the legends cause they know their fav would never.

  35. whut February 1, 2014

    Janet is #1. The rest follow in whatever order.

  36. quetta February 1, 2014

    Sitting pretty with legends!

  37. Common Sense February 1, 2014

    IDK why so many of you are saying MJ, his performance was an awkward mess. He thought he was on one of his tour dates, so he just stood there for 2 minutes while everyone else though wtf is this guy doing standing there? Then he lipped for his life.
    Beyonce’s show was boring as f***. If you’d seen her show once then you’d already seen her halftime show.
    In my opinion, Madonna and Prince had the best halftime shows by far.

  38. FAF February 1, 2014

    Beyonce moves were recycled but she killed it she’s actually my fave .. Bruno is gonna be boring

  39. K-FLO February 1, 2014

    No matter if you like her or not, you have to admit Madonna KILLED IT during her show. She was probably lipsinging too, but the show was great

  40. S****** Blonde February 1, 2014

    The things I have to read about Madonna as a performer, i’m not gonna wasted my time, anyway here’s my top five.

    1-Madonna (best of all times & she was 53 at the time)

    2- Prince (amazing stage)

    3- Janet (Justin made that performance Iconic)

    4- MJ (reptv but good)

    5- Beyonce (reptv but good)

  41. Umm yea February 1, 2014

    In terms of putting on a COMPLETE STAGE SHOW and not just moving around on stage and performing, Madonna NAILED it. Huge sets, elaborate choreography, a grand entrance, so-so music guests (most not necessary), an element of “bizarre” (the weird crown, the occult symbolism).

  42. prismayonce February 1, 2014

    Beyonce is a legend.

  43. chocolate_Box February 2, 2014

    PRINCE IS THE NUMBER #1 PERFORMER ON ANY LIST…WELL DESERVED!!!!!!!

    NOW WATCH HIM ON HIS SITCOM DEBUT! AFTER THE SUPERBOWL ON “NEEWGIRL” WHEN HE WILL SLAY AGAIN AT COMEDIC ACTING…

  44. Sandra February 2, 2014

    Horrible list. How is Michael Jackson only at # 10 ?!
    He should be at least top 5. Britney spears, madonna, janet and Beyonce ahead of MJ? LOL what a joke, MJ’s super bowl performance paved the way for the rest, he’s the one who made the Half time show a huge event.

  45. Mark111 February 2, 2014

    I would like to see P!nk next year, she’s ready and is a great performer.

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